1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to miniature electrical connectors used in printed circuit board and other microelectronic applications, and particularly to an improved microelectronic connector and method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of Related Technology
Existing microelectronic electrical connectors (such as those of the RJ 45 or RJ 11 type) frequently incorporate magnetics or other electrical components to provide a variety of functions, such as signal voltage transformation or noise suppression. In one common connector design, the magnetics or component package is fabricated as a separate device that is then subsequently inserted within or mated to another component of the connector. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,767 "Electrical Connector Jack Assembly for Signal Transmission" ("'767 patent"), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,884, "Electrical Connector Jack with Encapsulated Signal Conditioning Components" ("'884 patent"). A related design illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,563, "Contact Assembly and Method for Making Same" employs the multi-component arrangement of the '767 and '884 patents, yet with no installed electrical component. Common to each of the aforementioned designs is the use of a separate lead insulator or "carrier" that insulates and segregates the electrical leads connecting the modular plug contacts with the electrical component (or output leads of the connector). This general lead carrier arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 1a.
In addition to the functions listed above, the lead carrier also acts as a mechanical fulcrum for the leads when installed as shown in FIG. 1b. Specifically, the distal ends of the leads engage the contacts of the modular plug when the plug is inserted into the connector body, thereby tending to bend the leads upward and away from the plug. The carrier tends to maintain the leads engaged with their respective contacts on the modular plug, thereby increasing the reliability of the connector. This is especially true during relative movement of the plug within the connector body or after many insertion/removal duty cycles.
While providing the above-identified functionality, the use of a lead carrier has several drawbacks as well. Specifically, the additional labor and materials associated with molding and inspecting the lead carrier adds significant additional cost to the final product. Furthermore, the connector body ("sleeve") requires additional costly tooling to accommodate the carrier. After carrier insertion, the distal ends of the leads may also be bent into their final position. This adds another process step and precludes the subsequent removal of the leads and carrier from the connector body. Additionally, the carrier provides no bias or resistance to separating the component package (and carrier) from the connector body, thereby necessitating the use of adhesives or other means for maintaining these components tightly joined.
Another important consideration in microelectronic connector design is space. Ideally, a connector will consume the smallest possible amount of space within the interior of the host device in which it is installed. Furthermore, there ideally should be no penalty for mounting connectors in tandem (e.g., side-by-side), such that the space required for two or three connectors in tandem is exactly two or three times the space required, respectively, for a single connector. Prior art tandem connector mounting systems have typically required additional space to accommodate mounting hardware, such mounting hardware further necessitating the creation of numerous mounting holes or perforations in the device to which the connectors are being mounted. One approach for resolving this problem (as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,563) has been to utilize a common connector body housing for two or more tandem connectors and two mounting pins; however, this configuration suffers the drawback of having to replace the entire assembly upon the failure of a single connector (as opposed to merely replacing the defective single connector).
Accordingly, it would be most desirable to provide an improved microelectronic connector design that would yield a simpler and more reliable connector, and further facilitate more economical fabrication. Such a connector design would avoid the use of a separate lead carrier and mating adhesives, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing device cost. The improved connector would also have minimum external dimensions, and would utilize a simplified and compact mounting system to further reduce manufacturing costs and save space on the interior of the host device.